Hami melon

noun

A variety of muskmelon from Xinjiang, China, particularly associated with Hami City.

Similar
Chinese Hami melonsnow melon

Meanings

nounHami melon (plural Hami melons)

plural Hami melons

  1. A variety of muskmelon from Xinjiang, China, particularly associated with Hami City.

    Sheng had given me many Hami melons, and once again a cavalry of several hundred horsemen arrived for my departure, making for a spectacular send-off.

    1994, Lifu Chen, Hsu-Hsin Chang, Ramon Hawley Myers, editors, The Storm Clouds Clear Over China: The Memoir of Chʻen Li-fu, 1900-1993, page 133
    3 more examples

    The first major town on the Silk Road after entering Xinjiang was Hami. The mention of the name always makes one think of the famous Hami melons, but the melons are actually grown everywhere in Xinjiang.

    1995, Wen Dong Kuang, Focus on Xinjiang, →OCLC, page 19

    They also left a lasting stamp on the food of the capital, with their great round wheels of sesame flatbread, their grilled and stir-fried lamb, and their incredibly fragrant Hami melons.

    2008, Nicole Mones, The Last Chinese Chef, page 169

    The Hami melon, native to the Hami Region of Sinjiang Province, has found a new home here in Jhuangwei, Yilan. The soil downstream of the Lanyang River is great for the cultivation of hami melon because of the plentiful sunshine, excellent water system, and the local mild weather. The Hami melon was introduced to Jhuangwei in 1982.

    (Can we date this quote?), “Food”, in Yilan County Government, archived from the original on 29 Mar 2018

    Synonyms: Chinese Hami melon, snow melon

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA variety of muskmelon from Xinjiang, China, particularly associated with Hami City.

Similar
Chinese Hami melonsnow melon
Also see

Origin

From Hami + melon, calque from Mandarin 哈密瓜 (hāmìguā).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 哈密瓜
  • 哈密瓜 (haa¹ mat⁶ gwaa¹)variety of muskmelon
Chinese Mandarin 哈密瓜
  • 哈密瓜 (hāmìguā)variety of muskmelon
Finnish cantaloupe
  • cantaloupevariety of muskmelon
Japanese 哈密瓜
  • 哈密瓜 (hamiuri)variety of muskmelon
Cite this entry
APA

Hami melon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hami%20melon

MLA

“Hami melon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hami%20melon. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hami melon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hami%20melon.

Source: Hami melon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.